Digital Commons Network^™

An Overview In Protection Coordination Methods For Mitigation Dgs Penetration In Distribution System., Adel Amer, Eid Abdelbaki Gouda, Akram Elmitwally

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This paper introduces an overview for the benefits of distributed generations (DGs) in many aspects related to reliability of distribution system. Also, introduce the issues developed in protection system regarding the penetration of (DGs) in distribution system. A review is introduced of different scenarios of coordination between the common protection devices such as overcurrent relays, fuses, reclosers in distribution system. Furthermore, a review of protection coordination scenarios that developed to mitigate the DGs penetration that divided into two scenarios, one of them with minimum change in protection system such as disconnect DG from network when fault happen, limits DG output …

Exact Inference For Meta-Analysis Of Rare Events And Its Application In Human Genetics, Yanqiu Shao

Statistical Science Theses and Dissertations

Meta-analysis is a statistical approach that integrates data from multiple studies. By aggregating information, it enhances the power to detect the effects of interest and provides an estimate of the effect size with both accuracy and precision. Both fixed-effect and random-effect models are developed and widely used in biomedical research including clinical trials and genomic studies. In the case of rare events data, conventional meta-analysis methods that rely on large sample approximation may not be able to make reliable inferences. There have been various approaches proposed to deal with this situation, in particular, rare binary adverse events in clinical studies. …

Endovascular Approach In The Management Of Idiopathic Myointimal Hyperplasia Of The Inferior Mesenteric Vein, Yash B Shah, Derek Lee, Tamim S Khaddash

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Background: Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric vein (IMHMV) is a rare, often undiagnosed pathology affecting the colon. Patients typically present with severe abdominal pain and inflammation caused by smooth muscle proliferation of the veins, leading to arterialization, stenosis, and potential occlusion. The etiology remains unclear, but it has been hypothesized that an arteriovenous connection may be associated with the pathology. This is the first reported case indicating such an association. This case additionally highlights the potential utility of endovascular treatment, as endovascular embolization is generally a less invasive alternative to surgical resection in the treatment of such vascular disorders. …

Spontaneous Globe Subluxation: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Tesfaye Yadete, Ian Isby, Ketan Patel, Alex Lin

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Research

Background: Spontaneous globe subluxation (SGS) is an atraumatic anterior dislocation of the eyeball. It is exceedingly rare. Understanding SGS predisposing factors may help uncover its etiology and undertake vision-saving management. Case presentation: A 48-year-old female presented to the ED with her right eye out of its socket. She reported blurry vision, photophobia, and pain in the affected eye. She was unable to close her right eyelid and was in obvious distress. On arrival, her blood pressure was elevated. Her medical history was notable for hypertension and obesity. On physical examination, extraocular eye movements were not intact, and the globe appeared …

The Power Of Outdoor Learning Experiences: A Narrative Inquiry, Vincent M. Case

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Outdoor learning experiences offer schools an initial avenue to address global community issues, including climate change, natural resource depletion, disconnection from nature, and the current global coronavirus pandemic. This narrative inquiry study, grounded in the theoretical work of Vygotsky, Cajete, Brody, and Kahn, seeks to understand how children’s perceptions of their outdoor learning experiences provide insights into their learning processes. This study’s findings suggest that regardless of the location (mountains, home, school campuses, local natural areas), students say that they: experience positive affect and enjoyment; observe through their senses to explore, discover, inquire, change their behavior, and build deeper relationships …

Enhanced Security Utilizing Side Channel Data Analysis, Michael Taylor

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

The physical state of a system is affected by the activities and processes in which it is tasked with carrying out. In the past there have been many instances where such physical changes have been exploited by bad actors in order to gain insight into the operational state and even the data being held on a system. This method of side channel exploitation is very often effective due to the relative difficulty of obfuscating activity on a physical level. However, in order to take advantage of side channel data streams one must have a detailed working knowledge of how a …

Sampling-Based Algorithms For Two-Stage Stochastic Programs And Applications, Siavash Tabrizian

Operations Research and Engineering Management Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we present novel sampling-based algorithms for solving two-stage stochastic programming problems. Sampling-based methods provide an efficient approach to solving large-scale stochastic programs where uncertainty is possibly defined on continuous support. When sampling-based methods are employed, the process is usually viewed in two steps - sampling and optimization. When these two steps are performed in sequence, the overall process can be computationally very expensive. In this dissertation, we utilize the framework of internal-sampling where sampling and optimization steps are performed concurrently. The dissertation comprises of two parts. In the first part, we design a new sampling technique for …

Black Students In Higher Education: An Identification Of Factors Predicting Academic Success, Franklin A. Soares

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The quantitative study was an ex-post-facto study design to explore specific factors and their magnitude that predicts the successful matriculation toward and achievement of a bachelor’s degree by Black students enrolled at a PWI in the deep South. The researcher pursued to explore the direction and magnitude that fall into the following three categories on several measures the matriculation progress toward and deficit of a bachelor’s degree: student demographics characteristics, socio-economic background and economic status, and pre-and post-admission academic readiness and performance. The study was established on Tinto’s (1993) Model of Institutional Departure. Moreover, the study used binomial logistic regression, …

Ecg Denoising Using A Single-Node Dynamic Reservoir Computing Architecture., Aya N. Elbedwehy, Mohy Eldin Abo-Elsoud, Ahmed Elnakib

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Accurate detection of heart disease requires purely realistic electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. In the process of acquisition and transmission, various noises destroy the clean ECG signal, making diagnosis difficult. Here, we apply a single node Reservoir computing (SNRC) architecture based on a recurrent neural network (RNN) to solve this problem by minimizing typical electromyogram noise (EMG) and power line interference (PLI) that damage the ECG signal. MIT-BIH, the standard online arrhythmia database, is used to collect data and test the quality of the proposed method. To evaluate the SNRC architecture, we use two performance indicators, namely, SNR output improvement (SNRimp) and …

Arginine-Rich Polypeptides Are Potent Inhibitors Of Human Papillomavirus Infection And Powerful Tools To Investigate Viral Attachment And Entry, Jesse Mckay Young

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is estimated that 80% of sexually active adults will contract an HPV infection. Thus, there is a significant need for low-cost and easily distributable HPV antivirals that can be used alongside vaccines to combat infection. Herein I have identified protamine sulfate (PS) as a potent microbicide against HPV infection. PS was agnostic to genotype and efficacious pre and post HPV exposure. PS application topically reduced HPV internalization by altering epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and suppressed EGFR-stimulated HPV entry. Our preliminary data also suggest that heparin binding epidermal growth factor …

The Effects Of Physical Activity On Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Scoping Review., Amy L Shaver, Swapnil Sharma, Nikita Nikita, Daniel S Lefler, Atrayee Basu-Mallick, Jennifer M Johnson, Meghan Butryn, Grace Lu-Yao

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Cancer therapies are associated with multiple adverse effects, including (but not limited to) cancer-related fatigue (CRF). Fatigue is one of the most common side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), occurring in up to 25% of patients. Physical activity has been shown to help reduce CRF through modulating the immune system, and may synergistically aid in the anti-tumor effects of ICIs. This review describes the nature and scope of evidence for the effects associated with concurrent physical activity while undergoing ICI therapy.

METHOD: Scoping review methodology was utilized to identify studies, extract data, and collate and summarize results.

RESULTS: …

Solar-Powered Bike Lanes, Eman Al Ali

Theses

The problem of lack of bike paths in urban areas is a common problem with the increase in the number of riders. Riding the bikes in the main roads due to the lack of cycling tracks affects negatively on the urban area, its residents, visitors, and in many other aspects. To solve this problem, this study examines the design of a solar-powered cycling path in one of the areas of Umm Al Quwain city that located in the northern region of the United Arab Emirates. The research included secondary data sources derived from best practices research for solar-powered cycling paths …

Comparative Lcas Of Conventional And Mass Timber Buildings In Regions With Potential For Mass Timber Penetration, Maureen Puettmann, Francesca Pierobon, Indroneil Ganguly, Hongmei Gu, Cindy Chen, Shaobo Liang, Susan Jones, Ian Maples, Mark Wishnie

Publications, Reports and Presentations

Manufacturing of building materials and construction of buildings make up 11% of the global greenhouse gas emission by sector. Mass timber construction has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by moving wood into buildings with designs that have traditionally been dominated by steel and concrete. The environmental impacts of mass timber buildings were compared against those of functionally equivalent conventional buildings. Three pairs of buildings were designed for the Pacific Northwest, Northeast and Southeast regions in the United States to conform to mass timber building types with 8, 12, or 18 stories. Conventional buildings constructed with concrete and steel …

Notes From The Editor, Derek Stadler, Leila Walker

Urban Library Journal

We are very pleased to welcome you to the second issue of the 27^th volume of Urban Library Journal, which is a collection of proceedings from the LACUNY Institute held on Wednesday, May 5, and Thursday, May 6, 2021. The theme of the Institute was “Ending the Library Stereotype: Non-traditional Practices for the 21st-century.” The Institute highlighted the different roles that librarians play in our society as librarians wear different hats. Librarians are mentors, supervisors, activists, instructors, unofficial guidance counselors, gamers, artists, and so forth.

Preaching To The Converted: Religious Conversion In East Anglian Medieval Drama, Eleanor Davis

English Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation investigates religious conversion in late medieval East Anglian drama (c. 1400–1500). Each of my chapters examines a play with ties to fifteenth-century East Anglia, an economically prosperous region where orthodoxy and heterodoxy coexisted and religious drama flourished. All of the plays stage at least one miraculous conversion experience, yet the plays also offer reminders that conversion is an ongoing process that demands the convert’s continual effort to keep growing in faith. I demonstrate how these anonymous plays deliver their most important lessons about conversion in their much less miraculous moments, exposing a dramaturgy that revels in its ability …

Nature And Its Place In Professional Counseling: A Qualitative Study Of Expert Views, Experiences, And Future Plans, Matthew V. Bukowski

Dissertations, 2020-current

Recent publications and initiatives within professional counseling indicate a growing interest in the connections between human wellness and the natural world. Despite consistent growth of this trend between the years 2000 and 2021, there has been little dialogue within the profession about the ethical, ideological, and social justice implications of integrating nature therapy with professional counseling and counselor education. This study investigated the views, experiences, and future plans of 10 counselor educators who integrate nature therapy into their professional roles and developed two major themes and 12 subthemes that encapsulate their responses. Participants in the study overall shared a desire …

Words, Music, Memory: An Exploration Of Four Soprano Song Cycles By Lori Laitman Based On Poetry By Victims Of The Holocaust, Sheena Ramirez

Dissertations, 2020-current

This Doctor of Musical Arts document is an exploration of the four soprano song cycles by Lori Laitman based on text settings from victims of the Holocaust, with a specific focus on the compositional and performance devices that both underpin the power of words to bear witness to lived experience and ensure the process of musical commemoration as an act of historical preservation. Lori Laitman (b. 1955) has composed ten distinct song cycles commemorating victims of the Holocaust, of which four are included in this study – I Never Saw Another Butterfly, In Sleep the World is Yours, The Ocean …

Experiencing The Pull And Push: Influences On Independent Contractor Motivation And Job Satisfaction, Andrew D. Miller

Dissertations, 2020-current

Over the past few decades, the number of individuals engaging in non-standard employment has been increasing. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the motivation and job satisfaction of independent contractors, the largest form of these alternative work arrangements. Specifically, I examine how the rationale for workers entering contracting work arrangements affect in-role contractor motivation and job satisfaction. Based on a sample of N = 241 adjunct instructors from two universities, I find that the positive relationship between those entering contracting because the work offers autonomy, flexibility and the ability to pursue personally interesting work (pull factors) and their …

Post-Application Factors Affecting Community College Enrollment, Kyle L. Mccarrell

Dissertations, 2020-current

For many open-enrolled higher education institutions, including community colleges, enrollment is dropping each semester creating significant financial challenges. While much research literature focuses on four-year colleges, little is known about the students who seek to enroll at community colleges. What is known is often evaluated using college choice theoretical models, e.g., Hossler & Gallagher (1987), that focus on a limited, and often linear, student experience. Contemporary evaluation models, including Perna (2006) and Iloh (2018), seek to expand college choice understanding by incorporating contextual matters that include the diverse experiences of potential students as they consider college. These contextual theories, with …

Five Songs By Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960): From Nostalgia To Christian Hope And The Assurance Of Heaven, James K. Richardson

Dissertations, 2020-current

During the first few decades of the twentieth century, prolific composer, teacher, and conductor, Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960), was well-regarded for his contribution to the landscape of English art song. However, against the backdrop of Modernism and the tumult of the Second World War, his musical style was deemed “out of touch.” In a 1943 chain of correspondence with fellow songwriter Roger Quilter, Gibbs describes feeling “exceedingly sore and discouraged at neglect at the hands of the critics.” He further explains, “Just because we both write music that is intelligible & frankly tries to aim at beauty, we are considered beneath …

The Effects Of Physical Activity On Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Scoping Review, Amy L Shaver, Swapnil Sharma, Nikita Nikita, Daniel S Lefler, Atrayee Basu Mallick, Jennifer Johnson, Meghan Butryn, Grace Lu-Yao

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background: Cancer therapies are associated with multiple adverse effects, including (but not limited to) cancer-related fatigue (CRF). Fatigue is one of the most common side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), occurring in up to 25% of patients. Physical activity has been shown to help reduce CRF through modulating the immune system, and may synergistically aid in the anti-tumor effects of ICIs. This review describes the nature and scope of evidence for the effects associated with concurrent physical activity while undergoing ICI therapy.

Method: Scoping review methodology was utilized to identify studies, extract data, and collate and summarize results.

Results: …

Development And Validation Of The Raffle; A Measure Of Reasons And Facilitators For Loot Box Engagement, J Lloyd, Laura Louise Nicklin, Stuart Gordon Spicer, Chris Fullwood, Maria Uther, Daniel P. Hinton, Jonathan Parke, H Lloyd, James Close

School of Psychology

Qualitative studies have identified a diverse array of motivations for purchasing items within video games through chance-based mechanisms (i.e., “loot boxes”). Given that some individu-als—particularly those at risk of disordered gaming and/or gambling—are prone to over-involvement with loot box purchasing, it is important to have a reliable, valid means of measuring the role of different motivations in driving purchasing behaviour. Building on prior qualitative research, this paper reports the development and validation of the “RAFFLE” scale, to measure the Reasons and Facilitators for Loot box Engagement. A 23-item, seven-factor scale was developed through cognitive interviews (n = 20) followed by …

Deep And Transfer Learning Approaches For Pedestrian Identification And Classification In Autonomous Vehicles, Alex Mounsey, Asiya Khan, Sanjay Sharma

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Pedestrian detection is at the core of autonomous road vehicle navigation systems as they allow a vehicle to understand where potential hazards lie in the surrounding area and enable it to act in such a way that avoids traffic-accidents, which may result in individuals being harmed. In this work, a review of the convolutional neural networks (CNN) to tackle pedestrian detection is presented. We further present models based on CNN and transfer learning. The CNN model with the VGG-16 architecture is further optimised using the transfer learning approach. This paper demonstrates that the use of image augmentation on training data …

Hormone Therapy For Treatment Of Depression, Johna Beard

Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Insufficient Sleep And Early Class Start Times On U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Health And Performance, Stephanie Osborn

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Emerging adults face a set of unique obstacles that combine to make getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night a challenge. Internally, adolescents and young adults have a biologically based tendency to go to sleep and wake up later. Externally, they may participate in scheduled activities that wake them up early or keep them awake late. One primary obligation that can contribute to short sleep duration in students is early class start times. Emerging adults attending a civilian college may benefit from the ability to set their bedtimes and class schedule. However, their same-aged peers attending a military …

Infusing Evidence-Based Practice Into The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority Nursing Culture, Melissa Ring

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Background: James Madison University and Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA) entered into a collaborative agreement the summer of 2020. There was a lack of organizational structure surrounding implementation and systemization of evidence-based practice (EBP) models and a disconnect between nurse manager knowledge and EBP implementation within HSA.

Methods: The population for this evidence-based project was 21 HSA nurse managers from the inpatient setting. Pre-intervention survey results informed organizational readiness, nurse manager knowledge and ability to implement, and guided the intervention that included the creation and implementation of a website toolkit for EBP. An EBP model was selected for nursing. …

An Evidence-Based Project: Exploring Nurse Manager Communication Competencies And Skill Development, Micaela Ross

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Abstract

Evidence supports effective communication skills as essential for patient safety and organizational success. Evidence is also clear regarding ineffective communication and its negative impact. The purpose of this project was to determine an area of communication skill development needed among nurse managers of the participating island hospital and support positive change in knowledge, understanding, and ability to use effective communication skills. The aim was to improve communication skills among these nurse managers.The objectives were to determine a specific skill need, provide a focused educational intervention, and evaluate skill improvement. Pre-intervention survey results revealed a self-identified priority of effective communication …

Covid-19 In A Secure Behavioral Rehabilitation Setting: A Program Evaluation, Jennifer G. Jones

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Problem: The COVID-19 case rate as of June 5, 2020, for prisoners was 5.5 times higher than the United States (US) population case rate (Saloner et al., 2020). A secure behavioral rehabilitation facility in the US was challenged to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and made many changes to facility and program protocol in order to meet this challenge.

Methods: The purpose of this program evaluation was to examine the COVID-19 facility response, case rates, percent positivity and attack rates between units at a secure behavioral rehabilitation facility to inform further policy and procedure recommendations for the mitigation of COVID-19 …

Evaluating The Progress Of The Liberalization Of International Aviation Toward Open Skies, Tyler B. Spence, Daniel Friedenzohn, Steven M. Leib

Publications

The United States has engaged in well over 100 Open Skies Agreements with other ICAO member state partners reaching all parts of the globe. These Open Skies Agreements have established a practice of liberalization for airlines to have the most freedom to choose when, where, how often, and for how much they fly to locations. Despite a majority of ICAO member state partners engaging in Open Skies, there has been a reluctance of the member states to engage in the same practices with other aviation partners for similar access. A similar pattern is also evident for liberalization through the Freedoms …

Soil Moisture Dependent Runoff In A Dryland Region: An Investigation Of The Role Of Antecedent Conditions, Monitoring, And Modeling Strategies, Gerhard Schoener

Civil Engineering ETDs

Approximately 30% of the Earth’s land surface is characterized as arid or semiarid, including much of the western United States. Accurate runoff predictions are important for informed watershed management, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas. Infiltration excess overland flow is the dominant mechanism for runoff generation in many dryland basins, and event-based infiltration or loss models are commonly used to estimate runoff. However, predictions are associated with considerable uncertainty due to the role antecedent soil moisture, an initial condition that must be set by the modeler. The objectives of my research were to (1) evaluate the impact of antecedent soil moisture …